Chapter 71 War on Order

Inside a small hut, constructed with leaves and wood, a man lay on the ground, a carpet beneath him. Beside him, a stunning woman sat, her face displaying a mixture of sadness and worry that only enhanced her beauty.

"Hun Tian," she muttered, helping Hun Yu to sit. As he sat, the most noticeable thing about him was his skin, appearing as if it were rotting, mainly on his back and near his eyes.

Standing up, he revealed, "It has been three months since the incident of this scarlet mist entering my body. Initially, I thought nothing of it, but later, I realized it was causing me to rot from the inside and outside."

During these three months, nothing special happened; they found neither help nor foes. Seeing his condition worsen, Bo Zhi refused to move any further, compelling him to spend his days in the hut she had made.

"Let's go," he said, preferring to move than lie idle all day. Bo Saixi hesitated but eventually agreed, realizing that Hun Tian wouldn't stop even if she wanted him to.

Both of them moved in the direction they had been heading. Hun Yu had enough strength and willpower to walk for multiple days, with Bo Saixi silently trailing behind him.

They soon arrived at a waterfall, and there was a cave underneath it. Entering the cave, Hun Yu sat on the ground, with Bo Saixi sitting beside him, feeling guilty for what had transpired.

"I am sorry," she apologized in a low and apologetic voice, containing both guilt and sadness. Hun Yu smiled and turned towards Bo Zhi, noticing that she seemed to blame herself for the incident three months ago.

"Don't be sorry. It was my duty to protect the weak at that time," he reassured her.

As the cave fell silent, an unexpected visitor emerged—a tortoise crawled out of a hole in the cave.

"Hello, guest," it greeted Bo Saixi, who, startled, picked up her sword. However, she soon realized there was no threat, only a talking turtle.

"You don't have to panic; I have no ill intent," said the turtle, and Bo Saixi, now less alarmed, put down her sword.

"Who are you?" she asked, pointing her sword at the turtle—the same sword Hun Yu used to defeat the tree avatar since he was not in a condition to wield it.

"Calm down, calm down, young lady," said the turtle, sweating. Meanwhile, Hun Yu observed from the back.

"What is your purpose, Turtle? I noticed you were watching us the whole time," Bo Saixi inquired, her sword still pointed at the turtle.

"Calm down," pleaded the turtle. Hun Yu intervened, questioning the turtle about its purpose.

The turtle explained, "If you can do something for me, I can help you with the rot." Bo Saixi didn't understand, but before she could refuse, Hun Yu, from behind, voiced his curiosity.

"Rot? That crimson mist?" Hun Yu questioned, his eyes narrowing in curiosity.

"Yes, that is the Scarlet Rot," replied the turtle, its ancient eyes glinting with an otherworldly wisdom.

Hun Yu, connecting the dots, asked, "What task do you entrust upon us, then?"

The turtle's response was straightforward, "Nothing complicated. Just take me along with you."

Bo Saixi, her skepticism apparent, interjected, "Why the sudden desire to accompany us? What motives lie behind your request, Turtle?"

Her gaze fixed on the turtle, During these months, she had been very protective of Hun Yu; perhaps it was because Hun Yu had saved her.

Instead of a direct answer, the turtle posed an unexpected query, "Are both of you not natives of this world?"

Bo Saixi's perplexity deepened at the revelation, "Not from this world?"

"What do you mean? Not from this world?" she inquired, genuine confusion etched across her face.

"So, you truly are not from this world," declared the turtle, its timeworn voice resonating with certainty.

Before delving further, the turtle commenced an exposition.

"This world bears the name Lybor."

"Have you not observed the scarcity of life?"

"The void exists due to the cosmic struggle of Divine Beings vying for supremacy."

"Lybor, once teeming with prosperity, witnessed a celestial event: a radiant egg descended from the heavens."

"As forces clashed to claim it, the egg embedded itself into the earth, eluding all."

"Chosen ones were then anointed, bearing the divine will of the Mysterious Divine Beings."

"Powerhouses arose, wars ensued, and the divine, through their champions, sought to shape Lybor."

"A catastrophic consequence unfolded, annihilating nearly all life."

"And that Scarlet Rot is the power of the God of Rot; it is a plague that makes a being rotted from inside and out, even the strongest warriors fell against it."

"I possess a means to contain it, but only if you agree to take me away from Lybor."

The turtle concluded its narrative, and Bo Saixi scrutinized it. "An elaborate tale, but do not assume deception will elude my senses," she warned. 

"So, the Divine Beings you speak of, why do they not come themselves? Why use natives of this world as puppets?" Hun Yu questioned.

Hearing Hun Yu's inquiry, the turtle appeared surprised. "Hmm, you look smart."

"The reason is simple. If those beings come into this world themselves, then no one can save this world," the turtle explained. "The presence of those beings is enough to annihilate the whole world," it said with a hint of fear.

Unsatisfied with the answer, Hun Yu raised another question, "How do you know?"

He posed a simple yet tricky question, questioning how the turtle acquired this knowledge.

"Well, you see, I may not look it, but I have lived thousands and thousands of years, hiding and somehow surviving," the turtle began. "When I was running away from some people, I came across a church. I hid inside the church and overheard two people talking about this," it continued.

"How did you know we are not natives?" The old turtle slowly looked at Bo Saixi and explained, "Of course, because of the way you two were treating each other. In this world, the weak have no place, and women walking freely like this is not something that can happen. They are either killed or enslaved. And the slavery here is no ordinary slavery – working 24 hours, no sleep, no food."

"The reason I interpreted that you are not from this world is you have some weirdish energy around. Also, you don't give off evil vibes like those people," the turtle concluded.

Hun Yu listened intently, fascinated by the revelations about this world. 

Bo Saixi, however, expressed skepticism, "Hun Tian, I don't think this little turtle is telling the truth. What if it is trying to lure us somewhere? It already talked about enough nonsense."

"So, how are you going to take care of this Rot?" he asked, his condition worsening. 

Now, he couldn't even suppress it using his soul power. If this continued, his eyes would rot away, and he could obviously stop the rotting with his willpower, but he wouldn't be able to move.

"Nothing much, just stab yourself with this needle," said the turtle as it took out a golden needle from its little hole.

"Hun Tian, I am saying this turtle is just uttering nonsense," she said in concern and anger for being repeatedly ignored.

"Don't worry, nothing will happen, I am the strongest," he said in a joking tone as he picked up the needle. At the same time, Bo Saixi closed her eyes.

Hun Yu directly stabbed the needle into his chest without hesitation. Suddenly, a golden light was released from the needle, covering Hun Yu and entering his body. In less than a second, it was done, and the needle fell to the ground.

"Wow, you didn't even think before stabbing yourself. You sure have some guts," praised the turtle.

Bo Saixi, relieved that nothing untoward had occurred, opened her eyes and took a deep breath. She turned her attention to the Hun Yu and inquired, "Do you feel any different now?"

The Hun Yu responded with a thoughtful "Hmm."

"Now, Little Turtle, tell us on how to navigate our way out of this unfamiliar world and return to our own," Bo Saixi requested.

The turtle fixed its gaze upon them and replied, "Alright. To return to your previous world, you must reveal how you arrived here."

Upon finishing, both Bo Saixi and Hun Yu recounted the peculiar incident that had led them to this mysterious place.

"So, pulled in by some force?" Hun Yu speculated.

"If my assumption is correct, it might have been a space storm," the turtle suggested.

Listening attentively, Bo Saixi asked, "So, how do we get back?"

The turtle continued its explanation, "There's an easy way if you have some kind of connection with your world."

"A connection?" Hun Yu pondered.

After a moment of reflection, he remembered leaving his destined death sword at the Emperor's palace. Focusing his senses, he detected a faint link in the infinite void—though not very strong, it was a connection.

"I have," he announced.

Bo Saixi and the Little Turtle exchanged surprised glances, the latter looking at Hun Yu with excitement. "Good, good," the turtle remarked.

"If my knowledge serves me right, we'll need a substantial amount of energy to tear the spatial barrier between the two worlds," the turtle explained.

Hun Yu considered for a moment. "How are we going to obtain such a 'huge' amount of energy?"

With a reassuring smile, the turtle replied, "No worries. I know a place where an unknown and enormous source of energy resides."